Pretty Tank Top Knitting Patterns

After sharing some fresh T-shirt knitting patterns last month, let’s complete our summer knit wardrobes with some awesome tank top knitting patterns.

I love a good knit tank top because it somehow feels a little bit more dressed up than a purchased tank top, plus they give you an opportunity to knit and wear knits even when it’s hot outside.

The Rowdy Tank by Caitlyn Turowski is a great season-spanning top, because you can wear it when it’s warm as a tank or layer it like a vest when it’s cooler. It’s worked with two strands of lace weight yarn held together (or you could use a single strand of sport weight) and it comes in nine sizes, ranging from a 28 to 60 inch/70 to 150 cm bust, and is meant to be worn with 0-4 inches/0-10 cm of negative ease. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Keep it super simple for summer with the Ella tank top knitting pattern from MMadison Marie on Etsy. This cropped V-neck design is worked entirely in stockinette stitch, which gives you a cute rolled hem. It uses worsted weight yarn and comes in four sizes.

Another great classic design in Camisole No. 9 by My Favorite Things. This slim fit, top down crewneck reminds me of my storebought tank tops, but worked in fingering weight yarn it would be even lighter and nicer to wear on its own or for layering. It comes in eight sizes and is meant to be worn with 4.75-6 inches or 12-15 cm of negative ease.

For a design that’s all summer, check out Plumeria from Wool & Pine. This pretty design has a plain knit bodice and a long, lacy skirt. It’s worked in the round and includes a written pattern and a video tutorial to help with any potentially tricky bits. There are 12 sizes available in this pattern, which is on Ravelry.

The Ripride Slipover from Jennifer Shiels Toland is a pretty DK weight topper with panels of lace down the center front and back and textured stitch panels at the underarms. The pattern has options for a round neck of V-neck and optional waist shaping. You can also split the hem or leave it even. Ten sizes are offered in the pattern, which is on Ravelry.

Go for something a little warmer for the cooler mornings and evenings to come with the Emery vest and pullover pattern from Joji Locatelli. This cabled pattern can be worked as a sleeveless shell or a pullover with sleeves. It’s worked with worsted weight yarn held with a fluffy laceweight, and comes in 10 sizes. You can find this one on Ravelry.

Next Pattern:

If you want a brief introduction to most of the things you might want to learn about when learning to knit, Everyday Knitting by Megan Goodacre has you covered.

It talks about everything from yarn weights and needle types to casting on, knitting, purling and binding off. You’ll find tutorials for basic increases and decreases, colorwork, cables and lace, tips for reading patterns and charts and plenty of patterns to practice your new skills.

The biggest part of the book is these tutorials, with a couple of beginner practice patterns (a garter stitch washcloth and a knit and purl chevron coaster) found toward the beginning of the book, another chapter with four more patterns is in the middle, and the rest of the patterns are at the back of the book.

Skill ratings are on a scale of one to five, which don’t correspond to the standard skill levels (which is a scale of four). For example, a pair of Fair Isle style fingerless mitts worked in the round is a skill level five on her scale, but would probably be a two on a standard project level chart. Three of the patterns (aside from the ones scattered through the book) don’t have skill ratings listed.

Of those that do, two are rated one, three each are levels two, three and four, and two are level five. The other five rating goes to a woman’s sized raglan sweater with a textured panel on the front but that’s mostly stockinette stitch. I think the three patterns that aren’t rated would be level two, but I can’t understand the thinking that went into the rating system.

In addition to the patterns there’s a gallery of knitting stitches you can add to your projects.

Lots of photos illustrate the tutorials, but there are only one or two pictures each of the finished projects in the pattern section.

There are definitely things about this book that annoyed me (not teaching about holding the yarn in your left hand until 37 pages after holding yarn in the right hand is introduced, saying seed stitch and moss stitch are the same thing, etc.) but for basic, general information on how to knit all in one place, it’s a pretty good guide.

About the book: 272 pages, paperback, 22 patterns. Published 2024 by DK Publishing. Suggested retail price $24.99.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply